Air cleaner



Apnl,14, 1931. y G. M. SPENCER 1,3005326 AIR CLEANER Or'lgjjlalI Filed NOV. 23, 1925 HG. I, 7

y fll- 6 To INTA/rE 60 ye ifi Sezzceaf gine. This tube 3 has a short downwardly Patented Apr. 14, 1931 rarur oFFlcE am CLEANER Application filed November 23, 1925, Serial No. 70,846. Renewed June 13, 1929.

This invention relates to improvements in air filters or fluid cleaners and is especially adapted for use in connection with gas engines or compressors and the like where there is a pulsating suction.

The main objects of the invention are to provide an air cleaning device in which the foreign particles are eectively removed with little resistance to the air or fluid flow; to provide a yfiltering arrangement which arrests the particles in the air but does not retain them in the filtering mass, the particlesbeing shaken down or falling through the mass into the collecting hopper; to provide a relief to prevent the soot of a backfire from getting into lthe filter material; and to provide a simple, substantial' apparatus of low resistance which will require no attention and which may be readily assembled, installed or taken apart for cleaning and repairing.

Two speciiic embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings, in which Fig. l is a cross sectional view of'an air cleaning device particularly designed for use on the air intake of an internal combustion engine. y v ig. 2 is a cross section of a somewhat simplified form designed for general application.

Fig. 3 is a side'elevation of Fig. 2.

1n general the present invention contemplates utilizing the inertia or momentum of heavier particles of dust for removing them from the path of the air flow, utilizing iltering means for intercepting the lighter particles of dust and utilizing the force of gravity and vibration of the apparatus and incidental to the movement of fluid through the ilter mass for keeping the filter mass clear Y of accumulations of dust and for discharging the dust from the apparatus.

In the form shown in Fig. 1, the tubular member 3 is a part of or is attached to the suction end of the inlet manifold of the enprojecting tube 4 which yis referred to herein Vas the ou'tlet tube of the air cleaner; and has an upper opening 5 upon which is secured a cage or casing 6 for the relief valve y7. The

J valve 7 is a stamped disk which ts loosely in the casing 6, and normally, or during the suction period, rests on a suitable shoulder 8 provided by the margin of the pressure relief opening 5, in a position below the perforations 9. Tn case of back pressure in the tube 3, the disk 7 is of course raised and relieves the pressure to the atmosphere through the ports 9.

The circular cover member 10 is brazed or welded on to the tube 4 and the outer marginal portion is formed over to furnish an annular groove 11, in which are seated the outturned ends of thestraps 12 which are secured to the cylindrical portion 13 of the shell 14, therebysupporting the shell 14 in spaced relation with the cover 10. There are a suiiicient number of these straps to rigidly support the shell. Tn small devices, three or four are suiicient.` @penings 11.1 suitably spaced in the rim of the grooved margin of the cover 10 allow the outwardly bent end portions of the straps 12 to enter the groove. The cover 10 is then rotated slightly and the parts lockedby a split cotter 11.2. The shell 14 has an upper cylindrical portion 13 and the lower portion 15 is hoppershaped and converges to a small opening 16. A bae ring 17 is attached to the cover 10 and is in spaced relation to the shell 14 and to the upper portion of an inner shell 18 which is supported by extensions 19 of the straps 12. This inner shell 18 is also in the form of a hopper, concentric to the outer shell 14 and converges to a lower opening 20. To the lower end of the outlet 4 is secured the circular ange member 21 which is marginally spaced from the member 18.. The

iiltering means 22, preferably a mass of loosein a substantially horizontal direction so that solid articles intercepted by the filter mass ma removed from the path ofthe iluid an discharged from the lter mass into the storage compartment 50. The fibrous material when loosely packed and of sui- L cient size permits relatlvely free movement loosely supported (Sli `aloo 'of fluid and provides a-series of obstructions which repeatedly interrupt movement Vof dust particles and the like carried by the fluid thus slowing down the movement thereof with the, fluid and giving gravitational action time to remove the particles vfrom the path of the flowing lluid and to a quiescent and remote location such as the storage compartxnent 50.

The trap valve 24 is adapted to cooperate with both of the o nings 20 and 16 and is lrm the cross member 25 which is ,secured .to the lower walls vof the shell 18. A guard 251 is provided around the lower openings to shield the valve and hopper throats from injury.

In the form shown in Fig. 2, 125 is the outlet tube to which is secured a cover member 26 and an inverted cup or flange 27. The shell or main body 28 of the air cleaner is removably secured to the cover 26 by means of a stud 29 engaging in the opening 30 in the ange ofthe cover'26, and an oppositely located latch member 31 which connects 32 on theshell 28 and a loo 33 secure lower end of the'shell 28 and the trap valve `29 are constructed in the same manner as the shell 14and. valve 24 of Fig. 1. The llange member 27 extends a short distance down into the shell v28v and is marginally spaced therefrom. Air enters a series of inlet ports 34 in the cover member 26, passes outwardly and through the reduced marginal passage into the lter mass 35 which is supporte by the straps 36 which are secured across the shell 28. A

The two devices shown are similar, except that the device shown in Fig. 1 includes the relief valve and means for-extra baiiling of the air before it passes into the filter mass.

`In the operation ofthe device shownin Fig. 1, the air enters the .annular space between the upper ledge ofthe shell portion 13 and the cover 10. It is deflected downwardly by ring 17 and again drawn u around the lower edge of the bale -rin 1 where the air is expanded and slowed own because of the enlarged area of the passage between walls 17 and 18. It is next drawn d ownward with a high velocity in a thin stream through the narrowopening provided between the margin of the flange 21 and the inside of the shell 18 and is then directed i'nto the loose librous filter mass 22, where it follows an upwardly curving path to the outlet 4.

In making the turn around the lower edges to the cover 26 (see Fig. 3 The of the bam@ ring 17, the heavier particles through inertia and their momentum, tend to continue in their directionv and are thrown down into the hopper formed by the lower walls 15. The heavier particles may `be -thrown oi by changes in direction, but the lighter particles cannot be eliminated in this manner. Therefore, it is intended that the lighter particles shall be removed by contact, when the air is flowing in a thin stream in a curved path and lin intimate relation with the fibres of the filter mass 22. The dust par- The particles which are caught in the filter mass 22, having been brou ht to rest, are no longer conveyed along by t e air current, but fall into the bin formed by the lower end of the inner shell 18. The vibration ,of the device and filter mass,due to `the vibration of the engineer compressor'tolwhich itis attached and to the pulsating air movement, shakes down the dust that is caught by the filter mass and prevents the latter from becoming clogged. v

The valve 24 operates to automatically open and discharge any accumulations of dust from the. hopper whenever there is no suction at the air outlet 4 and whenever there is such suction, the valve closes and prevents inflow of air at the throats of the hoppers.

The device shown in Fig. 2 operates in a similar but modified manner. Suction is a plied to the tube 125 whichydraws the a1r downwardly through the inlet openings 34, pulls it through the narrow space between the margin of the flange 27 and the inside of the shell 28, and directs the air with a high velocity into the ber mass 35. The air is pulled around the lower edge of lange 27, then u hrough the mass 35 and out through the tu 125; While the air is circulating through the filter-mass 35, the Aparticles of matter are removed by momentum and' by contact with the filter mass, and by virtue of the vibration, the dust particles work down through the fibers and fall into the bottom of the shell 28, as described above.

Although but two specific embodiments of this invention have been herein shown and described, itr will be understood that the fibrous `filtering mass may be composed of any suitable substance such as horse hair, metallic filaments or fibers, which will be suiiciently dense to arrest movement of the dust particles but loose enough to permit them -to fall therethrough under vibration. It

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`of? this invention as arting;l from the spiritl efined bythe following omitted 'wahut' de the lower end of said tube in marginally.

spaced relation to the casing, air inlet openings l,to the upper part of the casing, and a .Y filtering mass supported beneath said flange and suction outlet, and a valve for said bottom opening normally open, but adapted to be closed by suction at-the outlet tube.

2. An air cleaner having a "casing with a bottom opening, a coyer removably secured over said casing in spaced relation, a baille extending downwardly from the cover and in spaced relation within the upper walls of the casing, an inner casing in spaced relation within the bafile and having a bottom opening within said first named'bottom opening, an outlet tube extending through the cover and into the upper part of the inner casing and having a laterally extending flange marginally spaced from the inner casing walls,l

' a loose fibrous mass supported beneaththe outer casing having said flange, l and Aa1 check valve cooperating with both of said bottom openings to discharge accumulations of dust automatically mass. d Signed at Chicago this 19th day of Novemthrough pulsations in the air pressure'in sai casing. l v

3. An air cleaner comprising a cylindrical and inner casing conforming to and mounted within the outer casin to form a narrow air space, acover remova ly secured to and in spaced casings, a circular flange attached to the cover to. project into the space between the walls ofthe casing, a suction outlet pipe projecting .through the center of vthe "cover,l a loose fibrous filter mass held in the upper ortion of the inner casing against'the en of the pipe and a flange secured to the end of i the pipe to cover the filter mass and lrestrict the air passage toa narrow annular space around the ed e. V f

4. An air c eaner comprising a casing, a

fibrous filtering mass supported within the of said casing and spaced from top portion thereof, an outletftube, means the bottom d outlet tube.

a conical shaped bottom relation with the top edges of the casing, and means above said filtering mass cooperating with the wall of said casing to define a narrow inlet passage, said inlet passage being proportioned to the filtering mass so as to effect expansion of air passing to said 6. An air cleaner comprising a casing open at the top, a cover for said casing, means for securing said casing and cover in spaced relation, an outlet tube extending through said cover, a laterally extending flange on the lower end of said tube, a fibrous filtering mass, and means supporting said fibrous mass within the upper portion of said casing and in contact w1t said flange, the periphery of said flange being spaced from the inner wall of said casing to provide a narrow inlet.

7. An air cleaner comprisinga casing open at the top, a cover removably secured to said casing and vertically spaced therefrom, a

' downwardly extending outlet tube having aj ber, 1925. l l

i GEORGE M. SPENCER.

connected to said tube for (supporting said casing, and means within the top of saidqcasing and in engagement with said filtering mass cooperating with said casing to define a narrow inlet adjacent the wall of said. casing and directing the flow of air in a laterally and upwardly curving path through said filtering mass to said outlet.

5. An air cleaner comprising a casing, a fibrous filterin mass supported within the top portion'o said casing, anoutlet tube 

